12 Days of Christmas
by EveleenBlackthorn
Summary: Mostly a gift to my readers of Eve Hazel, but anyone can read it.
1. Day 1

_On the first day of Christmas,  
my true love gave to me  
A partridge in a pear tree. _

_{Sunday}_

"Eveleen!" my mother, Jennifer Blackthorn, called. I groaned and buried my face in my pillow, "Eveleen get up! Jackson and Philippa are here." That got me up, I leapt out of my bed, pulled a comb through my blonde curly hair and threw on my Sunday dress, and then ran out of my bedroom to the small dining room of our house,  
"Where's Father?" I asked my mother  
"He's working I'm afraid," she answered me; my father was a tailor in our small town of Burgess my mother worked with him as a seamstress.  
As I finished my small breakfast of porridge she looked up from her washing up "Eveleen, I will not be joining you at church today. Your father and I have quite a lot of work to do. You will be joining the Overlands."  
I nodded not paying any mind to it, mother and father were usually busy, well father was almost always busy, but around Christmas time there was always people wanting new or fixed clothes, so mother had to work too.  
I handed over my wooden bowl, kissed my mother on the cheek, said goodbye and went to go and put on my shoes. "You took your time," my best friend Jackson Overland grinned as I laced up my boots, I pulled a face at him and stood up,  
"Are you ready to go Pippa?" I asked his younger sister Philippa Overland, deliberately ignoring him,  
"Yes," she replied and took my outstretched hand, she looked back to her brother "Come on Jack we don't have all day, mother will be waiting"  
Jack muttered something under his breath and followed us into town and into the small church building

…

"Finally!" Pippa gasped as we left the building "It's over!"  
Jack and I exchanged a look, that wasn't something you usually said as you left a church,  
"Um Pip…" he began but she had already gone ahead to walk with her mother  
"I think I know how she feels," I whispered to Jack, we both started laughing and got some odd looks from those who were leaving the church.

"So Eve do you want to-?" Jack began but I interrupted him as small white flakes started falling from the sky,  
"Jack!" I gasped "It's_ snowing_!" I ran forward leaving him behind midsentence. He stood there for about three seconds before running after me.  
He caught up with me just outside the Peterson's garden where one pear tree stood at the very end of the garden,  
"Anyway," he gasped "Eve do y- Wait is that a partridge?!" I looked round and sure enough, a partridge was sat in the pear tree.  
"I think that's the Turner's partridge." I said in surprise  
"Well," he replied picking it up "If that's the case then we better bring it back to them. Where do they live?"  
I sighed "You're hopeless,"  
"If I'm that hopeless then you can take it!" he grinned giving it to me  
"Hey! I don't want it!" I said handing it back  
"Fine I'll take it," he smirked "Lead the way!"

…

"Thank you Eveleen." Mrs. Turner smiled "and you Jackson, I'll be seeing you at the dance I presume?"  
"Of course you will, Goodbye." I waved and after we left the garden I turned to Jack "Race you to my house?"  
"You're on!" Jack grinned and took off. I lifted up my skirt and ran after him through the now fast falling snow.


	2. Day 2

_On the second day of Christmas,  
my true love gave to me  
Two turtle doves,  
And a partridge in a pear tree. _

_{Monday}_

On Monday I was already up by the time Jackson came to pick me up. My mother had already gone into the market place and I was sat in my bedroom reading a worn version of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ when I heard a familiar voice call from the front door,  
"Morning! You up yet?"  
I closed my book and walked to the door to greet him  
"I'm surprised you're actually awake Jack." I smirked, he stuck his tongue out at me,  
"Hey you don't get up for church, so I don't have to get up for school,"  
"Where's Pippa?" I asked noticing that the small brunette wasn't with us,  
"Oh, Pip went earlier with Anna and Devon,"  
Annabelle Peterson and Devon Bennett were Pippa's friends who would always tag along with Pippa and Jack.  
Anna was my best friend Nicola's younger sister, they looked nothing alike Nicola had short black hair and Anna had long blonde hair more like mine, except hers was straight. Devon had dark brown hair and his older brother was in mine and Jack's class.  
"Well anyway," Jack said holding out his arm "Shall we be off my Lady?"  
I linked my arm through his, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, "I think we shall." I replied in a superior voice, then I giggled and shoved him head first into a snowdrift,  
"Oh you asked for it Blackthorn," he grinned scooping up some snow. Did I mention that Jack made the best snowballs? If you had a snowball fight you never wanted to be against him or you were dead. But here I was about to fight him, Oh well.  
"Bring it on Overland!" I challenged him, and then got hit in the face with a snowball, I threw a snowball right back at him and ran, before he tackled me into the snow.

…

We arrived at school late, cold and dripping wet from the snow.  
Luckily our teacher was used to this behaviour from Jack and, more recently, me, so he just glared at us as we took our seats, mine at one side of the room near the window, and Jack at the other side of the room, near the front.  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack scribble something on a piece of paper and hand it over to Matthew Bennett, who handed it over to Mark Spencer, who handed it to Joyce Robinson, who got caught by the teacher,  
"Miss Robinson what have you got there?" he asked, Joyce went red and tried to hide it, "Miss Robinson." He walked over to her desk and held out his hand, she timidly placed the note in his hand and he walked to his desk at the front of the room, after reading the note he looked up, "Mr Overland, I will talk to you after school. We do not send notes to Miss Blackthorn during class. Are we clear boy?"  
Jack had gone red "Yes Sir." he mumbled.

…

The rest of the day went slowly, especially as I was waiting for Jack to come out of the classroom.  
Eventually he came out and closed the door behind himself,  
"You took your time," I said "how was it? Did he give you a hard time?"  
"Nah," Jack replied "Mr. Donaldson's a little soft when it comes to the Christmas time,"  
I saw something overhead and scrambled to get my drawing book out of my leather bag,  
"What now?" Jack asked me,  
"Turtle doves," I quickly answered him while drawing the two doves in my book. Ok so laugh all you want, but I was only collecting bird drawings for my mother as a Christmas present, for some strange reason she loved the nasty little things.  
Anyway, Pippa soon came out of her class room and told us all about the show her class was putting on for the Christmas festival that began on the twenty-second with a dance for the village.  
I was reminded of Jack's note when Pippa mentioned class so I asked Jack what it was about, he shook his head and told me it didn't matter, but as he walked away I swear he was blushing.


	3. Day 3

_On the third day of Christmas,  
my true love gave to me  
Three French hens,  
Two turtle doves,  
And a partridge in a pear tree._

_{Tuesday}_

I got out of bed the next day and began to walk into the kitchen to get breakfast, but I stopped as there was someone with their back to me sitting in my seat at the table, that someone was Jackson Overland.  
I slipped back into my bedroom and lent against the wall completely freaking out. Why was he here? What on earth is he doing in my house? I stopped and listened to what they were talking about to see if I could find out what he was doing here,  
"Yes," my mother was saying "I'll just go and get her."  
It took a split second for me to realise that I was the one she was talking about, I hurriedly began to comb my messy hair as my mother came in, "There's someone here to see you." She smiled,  
"Okay," I smiled back acting like I hadn't seen him yet "Just give me a minute."  
I came out of my room in my brown dress and smiled at Jack, "What brings you here good sir?" I asked jokingly,  
He grinned back "I'll tell you outside." Was it just my imagination or did he seem _nervous_? As we headed out my mother called after me,  
"Eveleen! Could you collect the eggs please?" I ran back inside and took the basket she was holding out for me, I went back outside to Jack  
"We'll get the eggs first shall we?" I asked him  
"Um, yeah. Okay." he responded.

…

As we left the coop three hens ran out in front of us and ran down the path towards the market place.  
"Oh no," I groaned "We have to go and get them Jack, otherwise I'm dead." I put the basket of eggs down inside the house and took off after the chickens. Now I don't know if you've ever tried to chase chickens but it's a lot harder then it looks.  
We got into the market and split off, I spotted the first one and almost caught it but at the last moment it ran in the opposite direction, I found it again at the well just outside of the market place, I brought some water up from the well and poured some of it down on the floor and stepped back, the hen ran over and eagerly drank it up, while it was drinking I grabbed it from behind.  
I brought it just outside of the market where Jack and I had arranged to meet up, Jack was already there and didn't look like he had as much luck as I did, there was feathers and straw in his hair, and a cut, presumably from the chickens, on his cheek that was bleeding quite a bit, I gasped as I saw him and he grinned weakly  
"Got them," he said and then walked off in the direction of my house.

…

"Stay still!" I told him, we were in my room and I was cleaning the cut on his face,  
"But it hurts." He complained,  
"Oh shut up, this is only water."  
This time he only flinched when I dabbed the cloth on his face,  
"There, all done. Now you have to go before my mother finds you in here, and then kills us both." I told him as I put the cloth down,  
"Thanks Eve," he smiled, as we were at the back door, and hugged me, the butterflies in my stomach went crazy,  
He headed off home leaving me to think things over, I mean a hug can just mean a hug…. Can't it?


	4. Day 4

_On the fourth day of Christmas,  
my true love gave to me  
Four calling birds,  
Three French hens,  
Two turtle doves,  
And a partridge in a pear tree._

_{Wednesday}_

"Well I know Mark and I are going together," Nicola Peterson told the small group of girls that were talking about the upcoming dance, I being one of them, "and the Josephs."  
"_The Josephs_?" Angela Webb, the newest member of our class, asked confused,  
"Oh that's our nickname for Joseph Hall and Josephine Walker; they've been a couple for about a month now,"  
she turned to me "Anyone asked you yet Eve?" I shook my head "Anyone you want to ask you?" she added slyly, Nicola was the only one who knew about my crush on Jackson, I glared at her and she decided to ask Stella Hale instead, smart move.  
"I don't know who I'm going with actually." Stella admitted "I've already been asked out by Matthew _and_ Michael, any ideas on who I should say yes to? I need help."  
"I wouldn't go with Matthew if I were you," I told her, almost everyone knew Matthew and I once dated, "He'll probably go dance with every other girl at the dance except the one he asked,"  
"Well I guess I'll go with Michael then." She said "Yep, so that's settled then, I'll tell him after school."

…

As the bell rang for us to leave I couldn't get the sick feeling out of my stomach, I had found out that after Stella had rejected him Matthew had asked Joyce, and Anthony and Judith had been secretly dating since the dance had first been announced, almost three months ago. And now it was down to one guy, and it just _had_ to be the one I was almost too scared to talk to, Jackson Overland.

…

"Hey Eveleen!" someone called after me, Nicola turned round to see who it was, she turned back to me and smirked "Well I'll leave you two alone then,"  
"Nicola!" I hissed to her but it was too late, she had run ahead and Jack had come to walk with me,  
"Hey, why did Nicola leave?" he asked,  
"No idea," I lied,  
"Oh okay then, anyway Eve do y-" he began as we were walking through the market, but was cut off by some unearthly noise,  
"What?" I asked when the noise had stopped, he opened his mouth and began to speak but again the noise started again, by the time it had finished I had to go,  
"Sorry Jack!" I called over my shoulder "got to go! I'll see you tomorrow!"  
He held up his hand and I must have been imagining things, but I swear he cursed himself for being an idiot, or at least that's what it sounded like. … On the back to my home I found the source of the awful noise, four blackbirds that were being chased by a tabby cat, causing them shriek in terror.  
I sighed and continued on to my house.


	5. Day 5

_On the fifth day of Christmas,  
my true love gave to me  
Five gold rings,  
Four calling birds,  
Three French hens,  
Two turtle doves,  
And a partridge in a pear tree._

_{Thursday}_

"Why do we have to do this again?" Jackson groaned, looking up at the wooden crowns and other jewellery we had to paint gold, silver, and bronze,  
"It's your sister's play," I reminded him "anyway it's better then normal school work."  
"I guess so," he sighed "pass me the gold paint would you?"

…

"There, done!" Jack said, almost an hour after we started painting, I looked up in surprise, there was no way he could've finished _that_ quickly,  
"Oh really? Okay then let's see." I held out my hand and he put five wooden rings painted gold onto my outstretched palm, "I don't think that's enough Jack." I looked up at him and laughed as I saw a silver tiara placed on top of his brown mop of hair, he held up a finger to my lips,  
"Wait," he told me, just after him saying that the bell rang for the afternoon break, I swatted his hand away and stood up and put the rings onto the small pile of finished crowns, and bracelets.  
"Hey Jack-" I began but he had disappeared "never mind." I sighed and went to go and tell Mr. Harper that Jackson and I had finished our painting,  
"Thank you Eveleen," he smiled "now would you be as kind as to fetch Miss Hale and Mr Goldfield?"  
"Yes sir." I turned and walked out of the door, and then ran all the way back to where my friends were talking,  
"Eve!" Nicola called to me "Over here!"  
"In a minute! Do you know where Anthony is?"  
"Um I think he's in with Mr. Donaldson."  
"Okay thanks!" I ran back into the school building and then slowly walked over to the classroom and knocked on the wooden door and waited,  
"Yes?" Mr. Donaldson snapped "come in."  
I opened the door and stepped inside "Mr. Donaldson, Mr. Harper needs Anth- I mean Mr. Goldfield, right away."  
"Fine. Go boy, and don't let me catch you doing it again!"  
"No sir," Anthony replied his head low, after I closed the door he muttered "You won't _catch _me again."  
"So what did you do?" I asked bemused.  
He shook his head "It doesn't matter." He then ran ahead leaving me alone.

…

"Hello?" I called as I walked through the front door of my home, as always there was no answer, they were still at work.  
I sighed and made my way to my room. About half an hour later there was a knock on my window, I got off my bed and opened the curtains to see Jack there,  
"Hi Jack," I said after opening the window "why are you here? Shouldn't you be at home?"  
"My mother sent me over, she said that your mother told her that her and your father wouldn't be home till really late, so she asked if you could come to our house."  
"Wait, I'll be out in a minute." I closed the window and went to go put on my shoes, I met up with Jack and we made our way over to his house. We were at the front door and Jack turned to me,  
"Um Eve… Would you li-" he was cut off by a small girl running out of the door and wrapping her arms around my waist,  
"Hey Pippa," I smiled at the brunette girl, Jack next to me sighed and walked inside, looking disappointed for some reason,  
"Is that you Eveleen? Come in." Jack's mother called to me from inside.  
Pippa took my hand and dragged me inside, telling me to come and look at the cookies she and Jack had been decorating.


	6. Day 6

_On the sixth day of Christmas,  
my true love gave to me  
Six geese a-laying,  
Five gold rings,  
Four calling birds,  
Three French hens,  
Two turtle doves,  
And a partridge in a pear tree._

_{Friday}_

"So what's next?" I asked Jackson, we were in his house preparing food, as Philippa had been sick at school and Jack and I had to bring her back, and then his mother (whom at the time had been making a pie for dinner) had to go into the village for some medicine.  
He picked up a large recipe book and read down the list of ingredients, after a while he found it  
"Six geese eggs."_  
_"_Geese eggs_?! Who even _owns _geese?"  
He shrugged "I dunno. But it says here that they can be substituted with chicken eggs."  
"Well pass them over, and then start peeling the vegetables." He handed the eggs over one at a time, and then picked up the peeling knife,  
"You think she'll be okay?"  
"She'll be fine,"  
There was a slightly awkward silence, and then Jack cleared his throat and began to ask;  
"Soooo… do y- OW!"  
I jumped "What happened?!"  
"I cut my thumb." He replied with his thumb in his mouth  
"You idiot," I told him "where does your mother keep the bandages?"  
"I don't know, I think they're in the bottom left cupboard"  
I found the bandages and tightly wrapped them around his thumb,  
"What is up with you?" I asked him "So far you've been told off by Mr. Donaldson, and then you almost get killed by chickens, and now this!" I gestured to his thumb,  
"Well I think that it's you who's doing it. Because, every time I try and ask you to co-" he was cut off by a shout  
"I'M BACK!"  
"Be quite Pippa, everyone in Burgess does not wish to know every time you return home."  
"Sorry mother."  
Jack's mother came into the small kitchen and smiled at me "Thank you for coming and helping me with this Eveleen."  
"Hey! What am I? Invisible?" Jack exclaimed,  
his mother turned to him and kissed his forehead, and he pulled a face "Mother! Huh maybe being invisible wouldn't be all that bad, I mean imagine all the tricks I could get away with."  
I laughed "Well let's just hope you _never_ go invisible."  
He pouted "You guys are no fun."  
I stuck my tongue out at him "Well anyway I must be off, bye."

…

It wasn't till I was laid in my bed hours later that I wondered what Jack was talking about, and what he was going to ask me,  
_I'll ask him tomorrow, _I thought as I blew my candle out.


End file.
